FOX Trustees and Beneficiaries Workshop - October 1-2, 2025

Overview

Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025 - 10:00am
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025 - 04:00pm
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Region
Location
Virtual
Event Resources

    FOX is pleased to offer the FOX Trustees and Beneficiaries Workshop virtually on October 1-2, 2025. This workshop is one of the very few places trustees and beneficiaries get the high-quality, objective, and non-commercial training they need to fulfill their roles in an informed and confident way. 

    A trusteeship is a critical, active role that has significant influence on the well-being of the beneficiary and the sustainability of the assets, businesses, or properties that are in the trust. Being appointed a trustee is a tremendous honor, but it comes with very real responsibilities and exposure to liability. But a trust is more than a legal structure or series of transactions—it sets in motion a working relationship between the trustee and beneficiary. Although trusts are a vital and prominent component of family wealth planning, it’s surprisingly hard to find training to prepare trustees and beneficiaries for their responsibilities. 

    This unique workshop is designed to help trustees and beneficiaries be better prepared and develop stronger relationships. The workshop covers the roles, risks and responsibilities of both trustees and beneficiaries so both trustees and beneficiaries are strongly encouraged to attend. 

    Recommended for: 

    Personal trustees serving as fiduciaries for family trusts and the beneficiaries of the family trusts. 

    Registering for the Program: 

    Our two-day program will take place Wednesday October 1 10:00 – 4:00 p.m. and Thursday October 2 10:00 – 3:45 p.m.  All times listed are US Central. Registration for this workshop is exclusively for FOX Family Office members and qualified non-members serving as fiduciaries for family trusts and the beneficiaries of the family trusts.

    Please note that a registration fee is required to attend. Additional discounts are available for multiple members of your family or office to attend in-person. Please contact your relationship manager or events@familyoffice.com for more information. 

    All registrations are subject to approval by FOX. 

    If you are having trouble registering, contact us at events@familyoffice.com

    Pricing

     

      FOX Members Non-Member
      Early Bird through August 27 Regular Rate Early Bird through August 27 Regular Rate
             
    Individual Attendees $2,200 $2,500 $2,700 $3,000
             
    Multiple Attendees $1,950 $2,250 $2,400 $2,700

     

       

    Wednesday, October 1

      All times listed are US Central and subject to change.
    10:00 am

    Welcome and Program Introduction
    This brief introduction will provide an overview of what to expect over the two days of the workshop and provide an opportunity to meet your fellow participants. We encourage coming to the workshop ready to engage with cameras on.  

    Chris Herbert, Senior Relationship Manager, FOX
    Allison Lawshe, Learning Center Program Manager, FOX

       
    10:15 am

    A Discussion on Beneficiary Well-Being  
    This opening discussion will focus on the role of trusts and trustees in enhancing beneficiary well-being. It will consider the importance of having the appropriate programs in place to support beneficiary education on topics including finance, family business, philanthropy, and family legacy. The session will also explore Delaware's new Beneficiary Well-Being Statute.  

    James (Jay) E. Hughes Jr., Author of Family Wealth: Keeping it in the Family, and of Family - The Compact Among Generations 
    Todd A. Flubacher, Partner, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, LLP  

       
    11:15 am

    Introduction to Trusts: Structure, Roles, and Desirable Features

    This session will review the essential aspects of trusts. Who are the relevant parties and what do trustees, other trust fiduciaries, and beneficiaries need to know as basic foundation for administering or otherwise interacting with trusts. This session will provide an overview for and set the stage for the remaining sessions over the two-day Workshop.

    Kim Kamin, Partner, Partner, Chief Wealth Strategist, Gresham Partners LLC
    Allison Lawshe, Learning Center Program Manager, FOX

       
    12:30 pm 

    Lunch Break

       
    1:00 pm

    Crash Course for Trustees and Beneficiaries: Responsibilities, Powers, Rights, and Wishes
    Trustee-beneficiary relationships enjoy a lengthy legal history fairly unique in the world to societies founded by English law. Aaron Hegji, Esq., Senior Planning Advisor with Planning Advisory Services and a practicing trusts and estates attorney with Harrison LLP, will prepare the audience to administer trusts or interact with their trustees by providing checklists, quick reference guides, and the tools necessary to use them. 

    Aaron M. Hegji, Chief Fiduciary Officer, Wealthgate Trust Company
    Chris Herbert, Senior Relationship Manager, FOX

       
    2:00 pm

    Distribution Provisions: Understanding the Issues and Options
    This session will discuss general distribution provisions and will discuss the key issues related to discretionary trust distributions covering the many factors that distribution committee members or trustees should consider when faced with requests for discretionary distributions.  

    Gerard F. Joyce Jr., Senior Counsel, Perkins Coie
    Chris Herbert, Senior Relationship Manager, FOX

     
    3:00 pm

    Trustees and Beneficiaries – How Does it Really Work?
    Trustee and beneficiary share their experiences. They will discuss their trust structures, the decision-making process that led to those structures, and various roles and responsibilities required for success. In addition, as trustee will provide examples of how best to work with the family, as the beneficiary and vice versa. They will then take questions about the realities of being a trustee and beneficiary and the unique nature of that relationship. 

    Allison Lawshe, Learning Center Program Manager, FOX

       
    4:00 pm Day 1 Concludes
       

    Thursday, October 2

      All times listed are US Central and subject to change.
    10:00 am

    Introductions and Recap of Day 1

    Allison Lawshe, Learning Center Program Manager, FOX

       
    10:05 am

    Fiduciary Disputes in Family Held Enterprises 
    This session will explore the myriad reasons the risk of conflict is heightened in the family business and trust context, how to mitigate that risk, and will provide tips and strategies to consider when conflict veers toward litigation. 

    Meghan E. Tepas, Partner, Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres 
    Chris Herbert, Senior Relationship Manager, FOX 

       
    11:00 am

    Building Life-Enhancing Relationships with Beneficiaries: An Independent Trustee's Perspective

    Research and experience consistently show that one of the most significant determinants for the success of a trust is the quality of the relationship between the beneficiary and the trustee. In this presentation, Dr. Whitaker, who serves as a consultant to families and as an independent trustee, will share the following:

    • The centrality of enhancing the beneficiary's life to the trustee's duty of care.
    • Steps that trustees and beneficiaries can take to develop strong relationships.
    • A multi-generational case example illustrating these points.

    Keith Whitaker, Founder, Wise Counsel Research, and Private Trustee
    Allison Lawshe, Learning Center Program Manager, FOX

    12:00 pm

    Selecting the Right Trustee and Role of Trust Protectors within the Trust World
    One of the most important decisions the grantor of a trust will make is picking the person or institution that will be in-charge of managing the trust’s assets and executing the fiduciary duties it requires. Building on the prior sessions, Jason Kohout and Stephanie Derks will review various trustee options, note the pros and cons of each option, and identify how to select the most qualified trustee for your family’s circumstances.

    Stephanie J. Derks, Senior Counsel, Foley & Lardner
    Jason Kohout, Partner, Foley & Lardner

    Chris Herbert, Senior Relationship Manager, FOX

       
    1:00 pm Lunch Break
       
    1:30 pm

    Managing Fiduciary Risks 
    Discussion of “fiduciary risk” has traditionally focused almost exclusively on a trustee’s risk of being sued.  However, this is only one of the adverse outcomes in a trust relationship to consider when approaching risk management.  We will look at several areas in which the trust relationship might fail, some of which might lead to stakeholder conflict. We will also review best practices to manage and hopefully avoid those risks. 

    Richard E. Fogg, Esq., Managing Director, President and Senior Trust Officer, Lineage Family Trust Company, LLC 
    Chris Herbert, Senior Relationship Manager, FOX 

       
    2:30 pm

    Bringing it All Together
    Kim Kamin will bring the workshop’s lessons to life by leading an interactive session for attendees to explore their current challenges, share key learnings, and consider actions to take as a result of the workshop. The discussion will be an opportunity to ask your specific questions in addition to sharing insights and experiences as peers.  

    Kim Kamin, Partner, Chief Wealth Strategist, Gresham Partners LLC
    Allison Lawshe, Learning Center Program Manager, FOX

       
    3:30 pm Closing Remarks
       
    3:45 pm Workshop Concludes
    Speakers

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    Allison Lawshe
    Learning Center Program Manager, FOX

    Allison Lawshe is the Learning Center Program Manager at Family Office Exchange (FOX). In her role, she partners with FOX’s Chief Learning Officer, Mindy Kalinowski Earley, to deliver learning programs and content for families, family office staff and advisors. Allison brings ten years of family foundation experience to the role, most recently as Chief Program Officer at the IDP Foundation, Inc., where she led the international education portfolio and scaling of training and financing program to over 600 schools across Ghana.

    Allison has an MPP from the University of Chicago, a BA in Economics and Latin American, Caribbean & Iberian Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is a Professional Certified Coach.

    Chris Herbert, Relationship Manager at FOX
    Chris Herbert
    Senior Relationship Manager​, FOX

    Chris Herbert is a Relationship Manager at Family Office Exchange (FOX). He brings to his role a background that is rooted in the Financial Services Industry, having served in the areas of commercial and private banking, as well as Family Business Services. As a senior relationship manager, Chris works with financial families to understand their objectives and provides guidance to help address their unique needs through the resources available at FOX.​

    Prior to joining FOX, Chris worked in the Family Business Division at The Northern Trust Company, where he managed a portfolio of family business assets that are associated with closely-held corporations and partnerships held in trusts and estates. He has experience with assets in a variety of industries, such as, manufacturing, publishing, investing, agriculture, and real estate. Chris also has a background in commercial lending and trust administration. Earlier in his career, he worked as a legal researcher for a well-respected, Chicago-based, intellectual property consulting firm, which specialized in litigation/valuation advisory services.​

    Chris holds an M.B.A. in International Business and Marketing from the Brennan School of Business at Dominican University.​

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    Kim Kamin
    Partner and Chief Wealth Strategist

    Kim Kamin is a partner and the Chief Wealth Strategist at Gresham Partners LLC, an independent wealth management firm currently serving about 120 families nationally as a multi-family office. At Gresham, Kim leads the development and implementation of estate, wealth transfer, philanthropic, educational, and fiduciary planning activities. Previously she was a partner at what is now ArentFox Schiff.

    Kim is an adjunct professor at the Northwestern University Law School and on faculty for the University of Chicago Business School Executive Education. She is on the UHNW Families & Family Offices Committee of the Trusts & Estates Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, has published on a wide variety of topics and is also a frequent lecturer in a variety of venues across the country. She is co-executive editor and co-author for the Leimberg Library Tools & Techniques book, Estate Planning for Modern Families (4th Ed. forthcoming 2024), and has been a contributing author in books, including the recent Wealth of Wisdom: Top Practices for Wealthy Families and Their Advisors.

    Kim is an ACTEC Regent, Past President of the Chicago Estate Planning Council, Planning Chair for ALI-CLE Large Estates, and Estate Planning & Legal Issues Domain Chair for the UHNW Institute.  She serves on the Founders' Committee for The University of Chicago Center of Law and Finance and on advisory boards for multiple local philanthropic organizations.

    Kim received her B.A., with distinction and departmental honors in Psychology, from Stanford University and her J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School. She is an AEP® (Distinguished) and a 21/64 Certified Advisor.

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    Keith Whitaker
    Founder, Wise Counsel Research, and Private Trustee

    Keith is an educator who consults with leaders and rising generation members of families with significant wealth. Family Wealth Report named Keith the 2015 “outstanding contributor to wealth management thought-leadership.” In addition to serving as Wise Counsel’s Managing Director, Keith also serves select families as a trustee, trust protector, or director of family private trust companies. Keith’s writings and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street JournalThe New York Times, and The Financial Times. He is the co-author of Wealth and the Will of God, The Cycle of the Gift, The Voice of the Rising Generation, Family Trusts, Complete Family Wealth, Wealth of Wisdom: the Top 50 Questions Wealthy Families Ask, and Wealth of Wisdom: the Top Practices of Wealthy Families and their Advisors. Keith has served as a Managing Director at Wells Fargo Family Wealth, an adjunct professor of management at Vanderbilt University, and an adjunct assistant professor of philosophy at Boston College. Keith holds a Ph.D. in Social Thought from the University of Chicago, a BA and MA in Classics and Philosophy from Boston University, and is a graduate of the ABA’s National Trust School. 

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    Stephanie Derks
    Senior Counsel, Foley & Lardner

    Stephanie Derks concentrates her practice on estate planning for high-net-worth families and family offices, estate and business succession planning for closely-held business owners, trust and estate administration, tax compliance, and other wealth planning matters. Stephanie understands the unique dynamics involved when working with families and family-owned companies. She strives to provide creative and comprehensive solutions to achieve clients’ estate, business, and tax planning goals. She is a member of the firm’s Estates and Trusts Practice.

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    James (Jay) E. Hughes Jr.
    Author of Family Wealth: Keeping it in the Family, and of Family - The Compact Among Generations

    Mr. Hughes, a resident of Aspen, Colorado, is the author of Family Wealth: Keeping It in the Family, and of Family – The Compact Among Generations, both published by Bloomberg Press, and is the co-author with Susan Massenzio and Keith Whitaker of The Cycle of the Gift: Family Wealth and Wisdom, The Voice of the Rising Generation, and Complete Family Wealth, all published by John Wiley & Sons and is a co-author with Hartley Goldstone and Keith Whitaker of Family Trusts: A Guide to Trustees, Beneficiaries, Advisors and Protectors. In addition, he has written numerous articles on family governance and wealth preservation and a series of Reflections which can be found on his website jamesehughes.com and his foundation, jehjf.org.

    Jay was the founder of a law partnership in New York City specializing in the representation of private clients throughout the world and is now retired from the active practice of law. Mr. Hughes was a partner of the law firms of Coudert Brothers and Jones Day. He is a current active Fellow of Wise Counsel Research Foundation a Boston based think tank providing qualitative advice to families who seek to avoid the shirt sleeves proverb and to help their families flourish.

    He is a member of the Advisory Board of Arlington Partners, the Chair Emeritus and  Chair of Distribution and Beneficiary Life Enhancement Committee of Lineage Trust Company, mentor to the members of the Matter Family Office, a Fellow of the Family Firm Institute, a member of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners, Founding Member of the Collaboration for Family Flourishing, a Laureate of the Purposeful Planning Institute, Director of the Learning Courage Foundation, former director of the Rocky Mountain Institute, former member of the Standing Committee of the HS2 Foundation, Emeritus Trustee of The Far Brook School, Emeritus Trustee of Prescott College, former Trustee of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, Board Member of the Hemera Foundation, and Board Member of the Robert H N Ho Family Foundation, and member of The Committee on Capital Gifts of Princeton University.

    He has spoken frequently at numerous international and domestic symposia on the avoidance of the “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves” proverb and on the dynamic growth of families’ human, intellectual, social, spiritual, and financial capitals toward their families’ flourishing.

    Mr. Hughes has been cited in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and various professional journals. He is a member of boards of various private trust companies, an advisor to numerous investment institutions, and a member of a number of private philanthropic boards.  In recent years he has participated in multiple podcasts and Zoom teachings.

    In 2022, Mr. Hughes created a continuing legal education course, Qualitative Estate Planning, through Law Practice CLE.

    Jay is a graduate of the Far Brook School (Class of 1956) which teaches through the Arts, The Pingry School (Class of 1960), Princeton University degree in history cum laude (Class of 1964)  Columbia School of Law (Class of 1967). He is a counselor to the Family Office Exchange and recipient of its Founder’s Award, the recipient of the Private Asset Management Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ackerman Institute Family Partner Award and the Family Wealth Report Lifetime Achievement Award.

    In 2021, The James E. Hughes, Jr. Foundation (JEHJF) was founded, in Jay’s honor and as a gift to him, to advance the field of family wealth as individual and generational well-being.  Rooted in Jay’s landmark Five Capitals research, the JEHJF is designed to spread the spirit of Jay to as many individuals that have this desire.

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    Todd A. Flubacher
    Partner, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, LLP

    Todd works with national, international and local clients on the creation, migration, modification and administration of Delaware trusts.  He represents Delaware trustees, beneficiaries, law firms and individuals throughout the country on all matters involving Delaware trusts and estates.  His practice primarily emphasizes the unique advantages of Delaware trust law, including dynasty trusts, directed trusts, asset protection trusts, trust modifications, and tax planning.  Todd also represents trustees, executors, and beneficiaries in all types of trusts and estates litigation and has served as an expert witness in litigation involving Delaware trusts.  As an estate planner, he assists high-net-worth clients with saving taxes, implementing their planning goals, and managing and preserving their wealth for future generations. 

    Todd is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and is a member of the Trust Administration Task Force (Past Chair) and Fiduciary Litigation Committee, and former member of the New Fellows Committee, Program Committee and Forms Taskforce.  Todd is also a member of the Board of the ACTEC Foundation.  He is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Todd holds the designation of Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) and was inducted into the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame in 2023.  He is AV-rated by his peers in Martindale-Hubbell, is ranked Band 1 in Chambers HNW in both Private Wealth Law and Private Wealth Disputes in Delaware, is included in The Best Lawyers in America (2014-2025), and Best Lawyers named him “Delaware Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation - Trusts and Estates (2018) and for Trust and Estates (2020 and 2025).

    Todd is a Past-Chair of both the Estates & Trusts and Tax Sections of the Delaware State Bar Association. Todd serves on the Legislative Drafting Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Delaware State Bar Association which drafts updates to Delaware’s trust laws annually.  He is a Past-President and Past-Board Member of the Estate Planning Council of Delaware.  He served as an observer for the Drafting Committee for the Uniform Directed Trust Act and serves as an observer for the Drafting Committee for the Uniform Directed Trust Act and the Conflict of Trust and Estate Laws.  He serves on the Editorial Board of Trusts & Estates magazine, served on the Executive Committee of the Delaware Trust Conference, serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Delaware Trust Management Minor Program and Trust Certification Program, and was Chair of the 2020 Delaware Trust Conference presented by the Delaware Bankers Association.

    Todd is a nationally recognized author on Delaware trust law and his articles have appeared in notable publications such as Trusts & Estates and Estate Planning magazines, among others. He is also a recognized speaker, frequently appearing before professional and business audiences across the country, including ACTEC, the Heckerling Institute, Notre Dame Tax & Estate Planning Institute, Kansas City Estate Planning Symposium, Fiduciary and Investment Risk Management Association, UHNWI, Purposeful Planning Institute, Estate Planning Councils, the Northern Trust Symposium, and the Delaware Trust Conference. 

    Todd graduated with a J.D. from University of Maryland School of Law, with honors, in 1999.  He graduated summa cum laude from Drexel University in 1992 with a B.S., finance.  He is admitted to practice before the Courts of the State of Delaware and the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

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    Aaron M. Hegji
    Chief Fiduciary Officer, Wealthgate Trust Company

    Aaron Hegji advises centi-millionaires and billionaires regarding the maintenance, preservation, and succession of their wealth. Clients appreciate his ability to thoroughly understand complex systems and translate it for them. He believes the keystone to proper advice is understanding the client and this requires a sincere interest in the client’s wishes.

    Mr. Hegji is (i) the Senior Planning Advisor for Planning Advisory Services, an international, planning think-tank and advisory firm, (ii) Of Counsel with Harrison LLP, a national private client services firm, and (iii) an Adjunct Professor at UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law in the area of Estate Planning. His work experience includes family office services, private trust company work, retail trust company work, estate planning, asset protection planning, tax planning, multi-jurisdictional planning and issues, expert witness work, professional trustee services, ERISA planning, philanthropy, M&A, tax-free reorgs, and succession planning. Previously, he was a senior associate at a variety of Nevada and California based law firms as well as the Chief Fiduciary Officer, Wealth Strategist, and member of the Board of Directors of a private retail trust company.

    Mr. Hegji is a frequent lecturer for CLEs, a volunteer editor for the California Bar Journal, and has been published in BNA’s Estate Planning, California Society of CPAs, and the California Bar Journal.

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    Meghan E. Tepas
    Partner, Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres

    Meghan Tepas is a Partner in the Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres Litigation & Investigations and Private Client Services practice groups.

    Meghan is passionate about litigation and approaches each case with creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, and determination. Meghan’s practice focuses on trust, estate, and fiduciary disputes where she represents beneficiaries, trustees, executors, and family-business owners. She has successfully litigated controversies involving breach of trust, trustee removal, and intra-family disputes relating to family businesses, as well as numerous general commercial litigation, breach of fiduciary duty, restrictive covenant, and breach of contract matters. 

    Meghan’s representation of her clients often begins in the early stages of a conflict, counseling and advising on how best to avoid litigation, particularly for matters involving families and personal relationships. However, when litigation is unavoidable, Meghan handles matters zealously through trial and post-trial appellate proceedings. Meghan also represents clients in private arbitration hearings.

    Rick Fogg
    Lineage Trust Company, LLC

    Rick Fogg is co-founder, Managing Director, President, and Senior Trust Officer of Lineage Trust Company, LLC, a licensed Nevada trust company based in Reno. Lineage is independently owned and works exclusively with ultra-high net worth multi-generational families. After working as a business and tax lawyer, Mr. Fogg was called into service for financially abundant families as a trusted advisor, mentor, and fiduciary. His primary interest is helping clients gain peace of mind while they pursue meaningful lives of learning, work, and engagement. Through Lineage and his almost 30 years of professional service to families, Mr. Fogg has experience with all aspects of planning, administration and transitions within families and family enterprises. Mr. Fogg graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara in 1992 and completed his law degree at the University of Washington, School of Law in 1996. He serves on several boards of directors of family businesses and on investment and distribution committees for family bank and fiduciary systems. He is the former governing board president and member of the Collaboration for Family Flourishing.